Masters of war classical strategic thought

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Strategy: past theories, modern practice -- Comparing Sun Tzu and Clausewitz -- The definition of war: a question of the level of analysis -- Clausewitz and Mao Tse-tung on theory and practice in war -- "Attacking the enemy's plans" and the concept of "the center of gravity": Eastern psychology and Western mechanics -- The primacy of politics and the military commander -- The rational calculus of war: correlating ends and means -- Clausewitz on the role of "moral forces" in war -- The supreme act of judgment: understanding the "nature of war" and the "trinitarian analysis" -- The first element of the remarkable trinity: the people in arms -- The ideal and the real: victory without bloodshed and the search for the decisive battle -- Speed, numerical superiority, and victory -- The principle of continuity and the culminating point of victory: the contradictory nature of war -- Clausewitz on war termination -- Deception, surprise, and intelligence -- On military leadership -- Boldness and calculation -- Corbett, Clausewitz, and Sun Tzu -- Conclusions: Towards a unified theory of war.